Combination shoulder pad and strap cushion



Sept- 21, 1954 c. F. CRAWFORD 2,689,350

COMBINATION SHOULDER PAD AND srRAP CUSHION Filed July 2e, 1951 2 sheets-sheet I fnl/En fr Sept. 2l, 1954 c. F. CRAWFORD 2,689,350

COMBINATION SHOULDER PAD AND STRAP CUSHION Filed July 26, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y: i L? 7 Patented Sept. 21, 1954 COMBINATION SHOULDER PAD AND STRAP CUSHION Claud Crawford, Pasadena, Calif., assignor to The Scholl Mfg. Co. Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Application July 26, 1951, Serial No. 238,721

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in a combination shoulder pad and strap cushion of the type highly desirable for use over the shoulder of a wearer inside an outer garment to impart a desirable form to the shoulders and enhance the overall appearance and hang of the outer garment, and at the same time cushion the straps of an undergarment `or undergarments to prevent those straps from chang or pressing into the shoulder of the user, although the invention may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

In the past, it has been customary to attach shoulder pads directly to the inside of an outer garment such as a dress or the like, and accordingly when that garment was sent out for cleaning, it was necessary to remove the shoulder pads therefrom, and then sew them or ,otherwise reattach them upon return of the garment. Also, where shoulder pads have been attached directly to the outer garment, movements of the outer garment relatively to the shoulder caused slippage of the pad to the discomfort of the user, and forced the user to make unsightly adjustments of the garment and pad at frequent intervals.

Of course, connections have been heretofore provided between shoulder pads and the shoulder straps of undergarments, but the object there was mainly to keep the shoulder strap of the undergarment from slipping out of position and becoming exposed or sliding off the shoulder. It is also known that in many cases shoulder straps of -undergarments are so tight as to chafe the shoulder of the user or actually to press a somewhat permanent groove into the users shoulder and the shoulder pad itself, most frequently associated with the outer garment, afforded no relief.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to'provide a shoulder pad which may readily be attached to the strap of an undergarment only, and which remains free from an outer garment, thus permitting outer garments to be changed while the shoulder pads remain in position on the wearers shoulders.

Another object of this invention is the pro-- or pressure absorbing means disposed betweenV the shoulder and the undergarment strap to eliminate any chang of the shoulder.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a shoulder pad having an exposed soit gripping undersurface so as to gently cling to the body of the user beneath the shoulder pad, and yet allow free movement of an outergarment over the pad.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a shoulder pad or cushioning material provided with a removable cover which may be taken olf, and separately laundered and ironed, and then the pad may be reinserted for further use, whereby a single pair of pads is all that is needed by the wearer, and that single f pair of pads may be used with Various covers of different colors.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a shoulder pad having a removable cover associated therewith, the cover being of such shape and disposition relatively to the pad as to completely enclose the upper portion of the pad, while exposing a, lower portion of the pad directly beneath the straps of an undergarment so as to provide not only a cushioning effect to prevent chang of the shoulder, but also allow the pad to cling to the shoulder to prevent slipping.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision of simple and easily operable means incorporated in a shoulder pad for engaging the pad with the strap or straps of undergarments.

Still a further feature of this invention resides in the provision of a shoulder pad made of cushioning material having separable naps on the inner portion ofV the pad, between which the shoulder strap of an undergarment may extend.

Also a feature of this invention is the provision of a shoulder pad made of cushioning material, with the inner portion thereof divided to provide superposed flaps, with means carried by the upper face of the lower flap to removably engage the shoulder strap of an undergarment and anchor the entire pad thereto.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a shoulder pad or the like made of foam latex, and which may readily be laundered whenever desired, the pad being graduated in thick ness from the outer edge to the inner, and the inner portion being in the form of separable naps between which the shoulder strap of an undergarment may extend, the upper ap extending inwardly beyond the lower Hap to provide a gradual outward increase in thickness of the pad.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures,

taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in whichm A Y l u Figure 1 isf a pictorial illustration 'showing a pair of `lsl'io'ul'dei"paldsfernbodying principles of the instant invention in operative position on the shoulders of a user, but with the cover removed for purposes of clarity; y n u Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the shoulder pads of Fig. 1 ,Y showing the pad pressed ilat for purposes offillustrationfand with parts broken away to reveal`tl1'e^`s'tructure associated therebeneath;

Figure 3 is a transverse verticalsectional'view through the shoulder pad, taken substantially` as indicated by the line Il I-III of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the padzi'n its'natural shape;` A y' l Figure lV is an lenlarged fragmentary vertical sectional y'iwtaken substantially as indicated by 'theline ICV-IV of Fig; 2;

fjflig'ure "5" is ran venlarged fragmentary transversefsectionalview taken substantially as indicatedbythe'lineV-#V of Fig.`4; d

Y Figure 6 is la `fragmentary enlarged plan view fof thebotto'm flapv of the padfillustrating aclifferentmeans for'. attaching the shoulder straps "of undergarrnent to the; pad;

Figure Tis a'bottom'plan' view fV a removable jcover'forfthe pad, showing the slot inthe bottom flap of the cover expanded;

n Figures is a view ofthe same character as Fig.' 3, showingla slightly differentv construction for the pad, and illustrating thel cover attached Qhllepad? and Figure- 9y Jis av 'fragmehtarybottom planview of the left hang'dfportion of Fig.' 8 to: illustrate the exposure" of van under portion of the pad Ywith the @over assied.

"Asshown'onuthe-I drawings: d l v, v 'In'FiglI have illustrateda` pair of' like shoul- "derv IpadsA ll-ltinproper -wearingpo'sitio'n on the shoulders o-f a i user 2, diagramiriatic'ally illustrated. Inthisinstance;Ifhafve shown afpair-fof shoulderystraps associatedl vwithv each shoulder padi, a 'shoulder strap3 being attachedfto'an undergarrnent Ysuch las af'slip, andithe shoulder sti'apf attached to' an underg'arment "suchfasf a brassire. It-'Tis'obvious that" if theA user/f desires only. onev shoulder strapto be associatedfwith f the' respective fpad, or A removably connected to the pad, the other shoulder strap'may ridev freely over the inner portion ofthe pad-orbedispose'd entirely beneaththe pad. n A

Eri-most' cases, lhoilvevien "it will" be 'desiredlto ccnnect'all of the underg'arme'nt shoulder straps to the pad so thatl these shoulder strapswillbe maintained in` alignment. Itis to vbe especially noted, as vclearly'seen invFig. Lftliatl regardless of howma'ny vstraps may be 'connected tofthe pad, they straps are completely concealed'by the pad which has `a portionoverlyingthemyand "wandla, Atl this point it 'should be noted, 'with Vreference to Figsu2 and 3, that the upper iiapfa 4 of the user. As will more fully appear later herein, the pad is used with a removable cover that prevents the pad itself from clinging to an outer garment. Obviously, other cushioning material might well be used, but foam latex not only (gives .theyy abovei advantages but also may be 'launderedwhenever desired.

l"lheullustrated embodiment of the-invention seen in Figs. 1 to 5, and illustrated without its cover, is shown as being laminated or made up uof"l'ayersgbut, itwill` be understood that the pad may be molded if so desired. With the laminated arrangementrthree layers, 5, 6 and l, have thicker part at the extremity of the shoulder.

'These'layers are adhesively or equivalently secured together, and preferably the lower layer l' "-'is'provided' 'withfa thin' sheet of latex il secured `ovritsupper Y"fa'cefso as. to provide a skin-like 'covering This Covering is, of course, of greater tensile stren'g'ththan the layer l'when the latter is'madefof foam latex. d

yThe entire -pad *preferably has the general lcontour 'of'half an oval, and is transversely curvate or arcuate'- toiit smoothly over the shoulder 'ofthe'usen If the pad is molded, that vshape 30 'A vvlarriinations.areuseoL'as illustrated, the upper maybe `molded into it. "However, where the lamina-tiener sheet" s' isfprefe'rabiy provided Vwith "afs'er'iesof' spaced Vsl'iaped` notches leading in from the'outer edge thereof, and when this'sheet -isattach'ed tothe other layers, thenotches vare clo'se'dtogether' as at sin Fig. 2, thus lgiving the entire pad a 'natural curvature Insidetheinner' 'e'dge of the' middle lamination vSjthe 'pad is divided so that the laminations 5 and'fterrninate iii-"superposed but separate i'laps extends: inwardly'beyond the loweriiap la'so -that"there"is"asm'ooth andv gradual'inc'rease in thicknessVv from theinner edge of the pad to the outer edge thereof.

'Ih'esh'oulder straps" A:l and i d extend between Means "are lower flap'afto removably attach the pad` to: the

--shoulder strap 'or'straps These particular means are* more' fully set forth, described,l and claimed in 'my' @pending-application for patententitled GushjOIlgHolder Y for` Shoulder Straps, led 'March 29, 1'95-1; Serial No: 218,202. i

The illustrated' means embody two spaced pairs of adjacent slitsthrough the'skin-linecovert onlyjongeach side ofthe center line'of the pad, the slits `being indicatedvat Inl), `and each pair of slits forming a free loop Il. vWith the exception ofthe four loops Il, the coverS is'tightlysecured tothe-upper-face vof the lower lamination lil-la. Through' each pair of loops is a holding element l2 in the ,form of a dat strip having enlarged end p'ortinsH-lcso that theholding elements in general havhe'the fshapeof afflat durnbbell. "f'h'se elements' may be of Lany' suitable material, trans- '5 head portion of the holding element passes therethrough, thus providing easily removable anchorage of the shoulder straps which extend `under the holding element as seen clearly in Fig.

2, and yet accidental dislodgement of the straps is readily prevented. It is a simple expedient to slip one head portion I3 throughits adjacent loop, place the straps under the body portion of the holding member `I2, and reinsert that head portion through its respective loop.

It will be noted that the covering 8 is preferably relatively smooth, as distinguished from the other surfaces of the foam rubber pad. Thus, a smooth non-drag surface is provided beneath the shoulder straps of the undergarments.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a different manner in which to anchor the shoulder straps 3 and 4 to the lower flap of the pad. In this instance, a lower iiap I4 is disclosed provided with a skinlike covering, and corresponding exactly to the above discussed lamination 1 and its covering 8. In this instance, the lamination or ap I4, in the free portion 14a thereof, is provided with two pair of spaced slits I5-I5, and through each pair of slits a securing ribbon I6 or the equivalent is threaded. Complemental snap members are associated with the ends of each ribbon I6, one end carrying a male snap element II and the other end a female snap element I8, which may be secured together over top of the shoulder straps 3 and 4 as seen in the lower portion of Fig. 6. An aperture I9 is provided through the ap portion I4a directly inside the point where the snap elements will be when engaged with each other so that these snap elements may be received by the aperture, and no greater thickness is added to the pad as a Whole.

With reference to Fig. 8, it will be seen that in this instance the entire pad-like member includes the above mentioned lamination 5, the just above described lamination I4, and an intermediate lamination of less width, corresponding to the above discussed lamination 6. In this instance, however, the lamination 20 is secured to the lamination I4, and the skin-like covering extends over the top of the lamination 20. The resultant structure is of the same shape and function as above described.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9 I have shown a removable cover, alone in Fig. 7, and associated with the pad in Figs. 8 and 9. Obviously, it should be understood that this cover is intended to be utilized with the structure described in connection with Figs. 1` to 5 inclusive, in identically the same manner it is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9.

With reference now to Fig. '7 it will be seen that the cover comprises one piece of material to provide a top 2I and an underflap 22 only partially the width of the top, this piece of material being reversely folded as at 23. Another piece of material 24 provides another bottom flap, and these bottom portions of the cover are separated by a slot 25 which may be expanded as seen in Fig. '7 for the reception of the pad.

This cover is preferably made of a smooth slick material, a silk, rayon, or nylon fabric being very satisfactory for the purpose. Suchcovers may be provided in any desired color and a number of 'differently colored covers may be used with each shoulder pad, depending on the character of the outer garment and the color of the various undergarments.

The cover is placed over the pad in the manner seen in Figs. 8 and 9. It will be noted that the underflap 22 of the cover extends under the lamination I4 but not under the part I4a thereof to which the shoulder straps are attached, while the underflap 24 extends between the two flap portions 5a and I4a of the pad, thus leaving the underside of the flap I4a exposed for clinging contact with the body of the user. It will be noted, however, that the top 2I of the cover totally encloses the upper portion of the pad so that an outer garment will contact only the cover, and slip freely thereover whereby unsightly `ad justments of the outer garment and shoulder pads heretofore necessitated have been completely eliminated. The outer garment should be free to move relatively to the pad and its cover, without displacing the pad in any way whatever. It will be noted that it is a simple expedient to remove the cover from the pad, and separately launder and press the cover whenever desired.

It will also be noted that when the shoulder straps are attached to the pad, the pad is entirely carried by the shoulder straps and no connection of that pad with an outer garment is necessary. Consequently, outer garments may be changed at will without thought of shoulder pads, the shoulder pads remaining attached to the undergarment straps during thel changing of the outer garment. It will further be noted that the entire combination of the shoulder pad and shoulder strap cushion and the` cover therefor is pleasing in appearance, does not cause any objectionable undulations in the outer garment resting thereon, provides a suitable soft clinging action against the skin of the user,l permits free movement of the outer garment relatively to the pad, and the cover and pad may be separately laundered at will Whenever desired, and the whole may be economically manufactured.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be elected Without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shoulder pad, a member of cushioning material to overlie the shoulder of a user, a portion of said member being divided into `a pair of separable superposed flaps, and means to hold a shoulder strap between the flaps and anchor the pad to the strap, said means provided on and carried by only one of the naps.

2. In a shoulder pad, a member of cushioning material to overlie the shoulder of a user, a portion of said member being divided into a pair of 4 separable superposed upper and lower flaps, means provided on the upper face of only the lower flap to hold a shoulder strap between the flaps and anchor the pad to the strap, said pad being of foam latex to provide a soft gripping action both against the body of the user, and a skin-like smooth upper face on the lower flap where the strap overlies the flap.

3. In"a combination shoulder pad and strap cushion, a fabricated cushioning member having the general contour of a half oval and being naturally transversely curvate to iit over the shoulder of a. user, said member including at least a triple thickness in the shoulder extremity portion thereof, the opposite portion being of double thickness and divided into separate superposed upper and lower flaps between which a shoulder strap may extend, the upper Iiap extending beyond the lower iiap, and means provided on the lower fiap only to removably engage a shoulder strap and anchor the entire member to the strap. Y

4. In a shoulder pad, a member of cushioning 

